Decrescendo

//ˌdiːkɹɪˈʃɛndəʊ// adj, noun, verb

adj, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An instruction to play gradually more softly.
  2. 2
    (music) a gradual decrease in loudness wordnet
  3. 3
    A gradual decrease in volume or loudness of a piece of music.

    "The peace was ended by the sound of an approaching train, the steady exhaust beat that has its own appeal, and amid a cloud of steam a rebuilt "Scot" burst from under the bridge at the south end of the station, and roared past at high speed. A long line of lighted windows flashed past, and then, in decrescendo, the sound and fury passed northwards."

Verb
  1. 1
    To gradually become quieter
  2. 2
    grow quieter wordnet
Adjective
  1. 1
    becoming quieter gradually.
Adjective
  1. 1
    (music) gradually decreasing in volume wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
diminuendoa cappellaabbandonoaccrescendoadagiettoadagio

Example

More examples

"The peace was ended by the sound of an approaching train, the steady exhaust beat that has its own appeal, and amid a cloud of steam a rebuilt "Scot" burst from under the bridge at the south end of the station, and roared past at high speed. A long line of lighted windows flashed past, and then, in decrescendo, the sound and fury passed northwards."

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian decrescendo.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.